Code Lyoko: Internal Struggles
by ShadowOdd
Summary: A series about the Lyoko Warriors and how they suffer in silence. This series is not about Lyoko or any related events. This will not be a fun or drama filled story, this story series will be based on very real and very important Mental Health Disorders and how they affect the person and the people around them. -This is a warning if you're sensitive to this topic- More info inside.
1. Aelita 1

**Hello everyone. While I'm preparing other chapters from my various stories I thought it was high time I finally released my most important story, I present "Internal Struggles" to you. This story is one I've been working on for months. Months of planning and pre-writing. This is not about Lyoko or any related events. This is not going to be a fun story or drama based, this story series will be based on very real and very important struggles a lot of people go through. This series will be between 10-15 chapters long. 2-3 per character. I'll be touching on multiple Mental Health Disorders. If anything of this nature disturbs you or makes you uncomfortable, I'd suggest you change. These are the struggles people go through in silence. This story, even in the light hearted moments, is not to be taken as a joke. If you, or anyone you know are suffering from any of these disorders, do not hesitate to contact me for help or contact someone local. Do not let yourself suffer in silence. Give people a chance to help you. I hope you all can understand why this series will be my most important. I hope you enjoy this series. Please, leave reviews with your honest opinion or if you relate to any of these, if you have a story to share or if you know someone who has gone through anything I've touched. I hope I can communicate these problems well to someone who hasn't experienced so that they can help others. Without further ado, this is Internal Struggles.  
**

* * *

 **Aelita. (1/2)**

The cold, harsh winds of Winter shook the windows of the cafeteria that belonged to Kadic Academy. The hustle and bustle of the students however, kept the interior of the building warm and vibrant. About midway down the building, stood a table. Sat at the table, was the perhaps, the most mysterious group of students that were currently or have ever, attending Kadic Academy.

"Alright, alright! You win!" Ulrich laughed, pushing his now empty tray across the table. Odd lifted his arms into the air, his hands balled into fists.

Yumi, Jeremie and Aelita rolled their eyes but still smiled at the two best friends entertaining themselves with a lunch eating competition.

"The undefeated champion of Kadic! Odd Della Robbia!" Odd cheered for himself, earning himself a round of applause from his friends at the table, even a few of the students from neighboring tables chimed in with claps, amused at the blonde's antics.

"I don't think being the fastest eater at Kadic is as big a triumph as you'd like to think!" Yumi said with a smile, taking a sip from the warm hot chocolate she held in gloved hands. Odd pointed at her and smiled.

"You're just jealous Yumi, that's all it is!" Odd replied with a smile, leaning back in his chair and letting out a happy sigh.

"You're such a dork!" Jeremie said with a laugh, taking a break from his laptop he was currently glued too.

"Ahh, again! Another jealous party!" Odd grinned, his eyes sweeping across the table, meeting the eyes of his friends but stopping on Aelita's green eyes. His eyes scanned her face, her eye sockets seemed shallow and her face looked thin, her skin paler than anyone else at the table.

" _Was she always like that_?" Odd thought to himself, his mind considered blaming the Winter weather or perhaps a lack of sleep but once his eyes fell to her plate, a horrible feeling set itself into the pit of his stomach. Her plate of food, the same as the others had gotten, remained full. Untouched.

Before he could mention anything to anyone, Jeremie stood up and stretched out his back.

"Yumi, didn't you want me to help you study for your History exam tomorrow?" Jeremie asked, shutting his laptop, placing it into the bag that hung on the back of the chair. Yumi stood up with a start.

"That's right!" Yumi replied, face palming as it slipped her mind completely, "Will we go to the library?" she questioned, reaching for her bag on the floor.

"Yeah, sounds good. You guys coming or?" Jeremie asked, throwing his coat on before putting his bag on his back.

"I'll meet you there in five minutes or so, I have to go hand this paper into Mrs Hertz!" Ulrich said, fishing a bundle of papers from his bag and waving them in a circle.

"Alright! Odd, Aelita?" Yumi asked, tilting her head and smiling. Odd shook his head.

"I'm good, I need to talk to Jim about my detentions anyway!" Odd replied, a sheepish smile spreading across his face.

"I'm going to head back up to my room, I need to catch up on homework." Aelita said, wrapping her scarf around her neck and taking off before anyone could say anything. Odd stared sadly after her which Ulrich caught out of the corner of his eye.

"She must really need to get that work done," Ulrich said, scratching the back of his head. "You guys go on ahead, I need to talk to Odd about something for Jim anyway!" Ulrich said, waving as his friends took off towards the library, leaving only Odd and Ulrich at the table.

"What do you need to talk about?" Odd asked, leaning on the table and glancing at his best friend. Ulrich stepped past him to where Aelita was sitting, he pulled out her chair and reached down, picking something up.

"You're still in love with her, aren't you?" Ulrich asked, pushing the chair back in. Odd blinked at his roommate.

"Is this all you wanted to talk abou-" Odd started but was cut off when Ulrich grabbed his arm and placed something into his hand. Odd looked at his hand and realized that Ulrich had put a phone into it.

"Aelita forgot her phone," Ulrich stated, looking towards the dorms before looking back at Odd, "Listen, something's up with Aelita, I don't know what but you've noticed it too. You're the only one she'd talk to if she had any problems. Go talk to her and find out what's wrong."

Odd looked at her phone that rested in his hands, he stole a glance at the plate she had left and he was hit with that feeling in the pit of his stomach again. He looked at Ulrich and nodded.

"Alright, I'll talk to her."

* * *

The corridors of the dorms were eerily quiet as Odd made his way through them, the only sounds accompany him were the sounds of his own footsteps.

He turned the corner, his eyes lazily tracing the frames of various doors before he neared Aelita's dorm. As he stepped closer, he lifted his hand to knock on the door but found himself frozen in place when he realized the door as slightly ajar. His heart started pounding as he contemplated looking through the crack. Going against his better judgement, he moved to the crack of the door and peered through.

" _Aelita… Whats happened to you…"_ Odd cried inside to himself, his eyes setting upon an extremely worrying sight.

Aelita was standing with her back to the door, wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top but Odd's eyes traced across her back. Almost every part of her backbones was visible through her skin. Her spine poked out further then it had when she first arrived on Earth, all those years ago. Her shoulder blades were worryingly notable. It all clicked in Odd's head at that moment. All the times she had left meals early, each time she had an excuse not to eat dinner. She was starving herself. Odd's stomach dropped so fast he felt himself lose his balance. He took a few deep breaths before standing up and composing himself. He knocked against the door three times.

"Aelita? It's me, you in there?" Odd called, his heart praying she wouldn't ignore him.

"Odd? Yeah, I'll be there in a second." Aelita called back. Odd heard her moving around in the room frantically before opening the door with a feeble smile.

"Hey, what's going on?" Aelita asked with a forced smile, gesturing Odd to come into her room. Odd instantly noticed that she had put a zip-up hoodie on before she answered the door.

"I wanted to ask you something." Odd responded, stepping into her room, Aelita closing the door behind him. She turned to face him and leaned back against her door.

"Shoot!" Aelita said, taking a breath before walking over and sitting on her bed. Odd noticed how shakily she was walking.

"Aelita," Odd said, his mind thinking of what to ask before he had an idea, "Will you come into town with me?"

"Into town? What for?" Aelita questioned, folding one leg across the other, the bottom of her jeans slipping up, revealing her lower leg that looked painfully skinny. Odd felt like someone winded him. Shaking his head free of the thoughts to yell his questions then and there, he looked back at her.

"I wanted to get dinner in town instead of in the cafeteria and I wanted to ask you to come with me." Odd stated, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Oh," Aelita simply replied, looking down at her lap, "I don't know Odd, why don't you ask Ulrich? Or maybe Jeremie? Or Yu-"

"Because I want to go with you." Odd blurted out, feeling his face heat up due to the blush creeping up on it. Aelita felt her cheeks heating up as well before she let out a sigh.

"Alright, I'll go with you." Aelita replied, giving Odd a weak smile and nodding.

"Oh, and Aelita," Odd said, turning to leave the room, "Careful you don't forget this in the cafeteria again."

He placed her phone on her desk beside her door, waved his goodbye and left the room.

She stared at the phone on her desk and let out a sigh. She was losing her mind.

* * *

Hours passed until it was 7pm. Odd paced back and forth in front of the Kadic gates. He kept checking his phone, hoping she wouldn't stand him up and not come. The truth was, he always planned on asking her on a date at some point but this wasn't the time. He had to find out what was happening with one of his best friends. He turned to face the building just on time to see her approaching him.

"Hey Odd," Aelita said, offering him a smile while brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I'm sorry if I'm late!"

"You're not late at all, don't worry about it!" Odd replied, smiling back at her and looking her up and down. She looked very cute in the outfit she had picked but Odd still worried deeply for her. "You look great by the way," he said, offering the pink hair girl a smile, "shall we?" Odd smiled, offering his hand.

"You clean up nicely too, Della Robbia," Aelita teased, poking him in the chest, she placed her hand into his and smiled, "Yeah, lets."

* * *

The duo entered a small diner, around 10 minutes from the ground of Kadic. They sat at a booth close to the window and settled into their seats across from each other.

"Odd?" Aelita asked, looking at the blonde with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah Princess?" Odd responded, using her nickname while pouring over a menu. Aelita felt herself smile at the use of her nickname. Smiling, for her was a rare occurrence these days.

"Is this a date?" Aelita questioned straightforwardly. Odd blinked as his cheeks turned a little pink.

"Well… No… Yeah… Maybe. I don't know, is it?" Odd rambled, rubbing his arm with his hand, his mind fighting itself to treat this night like the date he longed for with her.

"Well, I'd like it to be one." Aelita said, placing her hand on top of his. Odd smiled and cupped her hand with both of his.

"Then, a date it is." Odd nodded, a smile crossing his face. The waitress came and they ordered their food. A burger and fries with a cola for Odd and a small portion of fries for Aelita with a diet cherry cola. Odd felt himself sigh when she ordered. Their food came and they ate and talked, enjoying each others company, well, more accurately, Odd ate while they talked. Aelita picked an occasional fry from her plate and slowly chewed on it. By the end, she had only eaten half of her plate, much to the dismay of Odd.

The night progressed on for the two. The left the diner after an hour and a half or so, walking back to Kadic, laughing and having a good time on the way back. Aelita was surprising Odd. For as little as she ate, she was so full of energy and life. Odd's mind traced back to how little of her fries she ate and the reason he asked her out tonight set itself back into his mind. His concerns were confirmed when he noticed how little she ate.

They entered the grounds of Kadic once again and approached the dorm buildings.

"Odd, I had a great time tonight, thank you for this." Aelita smiled, her smile radiating her happiness, showing she was being truthful.

"No problem Princess, I had a great time too!" Odd responded, a smile plastered on his face. She giggled before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.

"Goodnight Odd," Aelita blushed, smiling to herself that she had the courage to kiss him, "I'm going to head up now. Sleep well!" she said, waving as she walked towards her dorm building.

"Goodnight Aelita!" Odd called, placing his fingers against the cheek she had just kissed. Smiling to himself, he turned to head into his dorm. As he neared the door, his brain jolted and gave him the sudden urge to look over his shoulder. He did as his brain commanded and noticed that Aelita had changed her path from the dorms to the public bathroom. He watched as she entered and the door closed behind her. Without giving himself a chance to think, his legs began moving on their own towards to the bathroom.

* * *

Odd quietly pushed the door to the bathroom open and stepped inside. The dim light of the bathroom helped him find his way to the stalls, only one of them closed over. He quietly walked closer before he heard it. The one noise he hoped he wouldn't hear. The sound of someone puking. His heart began to pain him instantly, causing him to inhale sharply. He quickly clasped his hands over his mouth and prayed Aelita hadn't heard him. When a few seconds passed and he heard the sounds again, he let go of his mouth, knowing he wasn't caught.

He stepped closer to the door and placed his hand on it. Every single fiber of his being told him not to open it, to forget all this and go to bed, but his heart told him otherwise. This was the girl he loved and one of his closest friends. He couldn't let this go. He pressed on the door and it slowly swung open with no resistance.

"Aelita."

Aelita, from her position on her knees, leaning over the toilet, felt herself jump. Standing up and slowly turning to face Odd. She looked him dead in the eyes.

"Odd…" Aelita began, looking up at Odd who towered above her, but was cut off when Odd wrapped his arms around her. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and suddenly felt herself crying into Odd's chest.

"It's alright Aelita, I'm here." Odd said burying his face into the top of her hair, stroking her hair as she cried into the blondes chest. Unbeknownst to Aelita, Odd silently cried into her hair.

"I'm here."

 **That was my first chapter out of two for Aelita. Aelita's chapters will cover two disorders that I've had experience with personally through a friend, so I felt this was the right one to start with. I hope you all understand what I'm trying to relay her and that you will all understand with time that we need to work with each other to overcome these disorders. Nothing, can be done by yourself. Until the next chapter for Aelita, I'll see you then.**


	2. Aelita 2

**I'm sorry for the delay of this last section of Aelita's part, I had to map out one final thing for Ulrich. This chapter is going to be shorter than the first. The way these will work is the first chapter for each person will be the longest because as of this one, the start of a new members story will tie in with the last, linking all the stories together. Enjoy.**

Aelita 2.

Odd walked Aelita back to her dorm in silence, both unable to find the words to break the heavy silence that held over them. The sounds of their footsteps in sync were the only noise that could be heard through the empty halls.

Once they reached her dorm, Odd opened the door, gesturing her inside and following her in once she had entered. Aelita sat on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. Odd closed the door and moved to the chest of drawers.

"So…" Odd started, leaning back on the chest of drawers, "When did this start?" he questioned.

"A little over a year ago." Aelita responded, her voice meek and barely audible. Odd let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Why?" he asked, resuming his position on the drawers.

Aelita's heart raced more than it even had, her brain looking for the answer that she herself, spent so long searching for.

"I… I don't know…" Aelita replied, tears brimming as she spoke. Odd was one person she hated lying too but she just wanted this to be over as quickly as possible.

"Don't give me that Aelita," Odd snapped, his temper flaring, "None of this is a joke. What you're doing to yourself, it's not healthy for you, physically OR mentally."

Aelita felt her lip starting to quiver. She was so close to tears.

"I just…" Aelita stammered, her heart pounding.

"Just what Aelita?" Odd questioned further, his eyebrow raised.

"I wanted to be perfect."

* * *

That was it. Odd felt his heart shatter. His legs worked on their own, taking his body over to the bed and before he knew it, his arms were wrapped around the pink hair girl. She flung her arms around him and let out the tears she had been holding back.

"I just wanted to beautiful to someone, Odd." Aelita cried into his chest, Odd stroked her hair as he held back tears of his own. He had to be strong, stopping to comfort her further than he had already would help now, but not in the long run.

"Has anyone else noticed?" Odd asked, pulling away, trying his hardest not to let the tears in his eyes fall.

"Jeremie noticed a few months ago…" Aelita said, sitting back at the top of her bed, using her sleeves to wipe away her tears. Odd stood up and walked over to her desk, grabbing a few tissues from the box that sat on it and handed them to her. She nodded her thanks.

"And what did he say?" Odd asked, sitting on the chair beside the desk.

"He said that if my body weight kept dwindling and I kept neglecting my body and depriving it of nutrients, no one would want to be with me." Aelita responded, managing to get her tears under control. Odd's fist slammed on the table, causing Aelita to jump.

"That IDIOT." Odd growled, his angering flaring more than it had previously.

"Odd…" Aelita started, trying to explain further to the blonde but he was clearly not interested in her covering for Jeremie.

"No, that isn't right at all, what was he think-" Odd started but a thought crossing his mind cut him off, "Wait, isn't he saying then that he wouldn't date you?" Odd questioned, glancing at the pinkette.

"He said we weren't compatible anymore and said that our romance had died." Aelita said, her lip quivering again, not going unnoticed by Odd.

"Wait, when did he say this?" Odd asked, standing up and moving to the bed beside her.

"Around 14 months ago," Aelita responded, "Why?"

Odd stood back up and rubbed his eyes. He had a base now and it all made sense.

"Then it makes sense…" Odd said, his mind racing, Aelita tilted her head and asked him to explain further.

"So Jeremie says you aren't compatible anymore around 14 months ago, and you said this started a little over a year ago? Isn't it obvious? I'm not saying Jeremie directly caused the state of mind you were in to consider this course of action, but what if because of that rejection, you felt unattractive and your first thought was your physical appearance? It's not that crazy a theory." Odd explained, his eyes lighting up, he had made at least one break through.

"I guess that could be an answer…" Aelita responded, her heart finally slowing down. "Besides…" she continued, "It hurt but at the same time, I was relieved… Jeremie was held back by me, this way, he can experience more than I have to offer… It doesn't matter, I started falling for someone else since I came to Earth anyway…" Aelita drifted on, her eyes tracing various objects in her room, not daring to make eye contact with Odd.

"Aelita, listen…" Odd started, sitting down beside her, taking her hands into his. He noticed the coldness and how frail her hands were instantly, it sent a jolt down his spine. "I'm going to help you get better and get through this, but you need to promise me something, you need to let me and the others help you."

"I don't want to put you out or bring you dow-" Aelita explained before being cut off by Odd's hand cupping her face.

"Aelita, I care so much for you… Seeing you do this to yourself is killing me, it can't keep up." Odd said, his eyes finally showing a trace of the tears he tried so hard to bury, "Just promise you'll let me help you."

"I promise Odd…" Aelita replied through a smile. He rested his forehead against hers in relief.

They stayed like this for a few minutes before Odd spoke up.

"In return Aelita, I'll need you to do me a favour too…" Odd asked nervously, rubbing his arm.

"Of course… What's wrong?" Aelita responded, placing her hand on top of the hand that was rubbing his arm.

"I need your help too."

 **Aelita Schaeffer. Anorexia/Bulimia. These two, not all the time but tend to, go hand in hand. Anorexia is a disorder with a desire to be "thin" but normally pushed into starvation to have a body that is extremely underweight and unhealthy but "thin". Bulimia is the act of purging food out of the body via, most commonly, forced puking.**

 **This chapter, again, although short, will have continuation throughout the series, as will all the ones I cover. They will all be directly discussed in the last two chapters which will be based as a group. But I thank you for the support/views so far and I VERY much appreciate the member who directly PM'd me with their own story of dealing with bulimia and I'm glad I could talk to you about it and help you any and all the ways I can. I'll see you all for a long chapter and a continuation with the next chapter, "Odd." Coming at some point at the weekend.**


	3. Odd 1

Odd 1/3.

Almost two months had passed in Kadic since Odd's discovery about Aelita. Their friendship had reached a new height with all the time Odd had spent by her side, fulfilling his promise of helping her through her suffering. Aelita had kept her word, working her hardest to overcome her horrible habits, eating every meal with the group like she once used too. After a few weeks of their secret, Aelita had decided to tell the rest of her best friends about what she had been going through with Odd standing by her side, helping her fill in the blanks and being her general support. The rest of the gang stood by her and offered their unconditional support, especially Yumi.

It was currently turning into the Christmas weeks in Kadic, with lights being hung up all throughout the school and a giant Christmas Tree had been set up directly in the middle of the courtyard, much to the pain and dismay of Jim who had the pleasure of setting the tree up and preforming daily maintenance upon it, checking for any signs of swaying or breakage. The group of 4 sat in their usual spot in the canteen on a late Sunday evening, missing one of their normal members.

"So, Odd isn't joining us?" Yumi asked, burying herself into her coat, trying to keep whatever heat her body was radiating, in.

"Nah," Ulrich said, lazily flicking his eyes up to his dorm window and then back to the table, "He's still glued to that game I think." he finished, his tone borderline angry.

"You guys have another argument?" Jeremie questioned, leaning on his elbows on the table.

"It's not like I ask much," Ulrich sighed, leaning back in his chair, "I just want a good night sleep and all he does is stay up super late, talking to his friends and keeping me up."

"It sounds like you're his mother!" Aelita giggled, her face lighting up at picturing Ulrich trying to mother the ever rebellious Odd.

Ulrich pointed his finger at her.

"I'd like to see you talk some sense into him! Lately his world has been games and online friends and nothing else, when he isn't playing, he just talks about it and waits out his day until he can get back on and talk." Ulrich sighed, letting his held slump onto the table with a thud, the tiredness clearly getting to him.

"It sounds like you're jealous of his online friends a little bit!" Jeremie teased, the steam of the cup in front of him fogging up his glasses. The table shared a joined round of laughter, even Ulrich cracked a smile.

"Should we go up to him and check on him?" Yumi suggested, "We could try to get him to come to town for a bit?"

"Yeah! That sounds like a good plan! Day out!" Aelita squealed, grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair and zipping it up, quickly ushering the others to follow suit. Smiling, they all followed her out of the canteen and towards the dorm.

Ulrich trailed after slightly, his mind replaying their argument this morning over and over.

* * *

" _Good morning sleeping beauty!" Odd teased from his seat at the computer without looking over his shoulder, hearing Ulrich stir from his sleep._

 _Ulrich threw the blankets off him and stood up, stretching out his back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes._

" _Whoa man, you look rough!" Odd laughed, turning in his chair to face Ulrich who just growled his response. The bags under the German's eyes as clear as daylight.  
_

" _Well, I didn't manage to sleep well at all last night, what with you being up till stupid AM and talking all night, I didn't manage to sleep very long." Ulrich growled, moving to his wardrobe and opening it, taking out some clothes, "Speaking of which, did you even sleep?"_

" _Why don't you mind your own business?" Odd shot back before turning back to the screen. Ulrich just stared at the back of Odd's head in confusion._

" _A minute ago he was laughing, now he's angry?" Ulrich thought, holding his clothes in his hands, reaching for his shower supplies._

" _I'm going to shower." Ulrich said flatly, reaching for the handle. Odd shrugged without looking back._

" _Nice to know." Odd said sarcastically. Ulrich screamed internally at his roommate. What was up with him these past few weeks?_

" _Whatever, ass." Ulrich said before slamming the door behind him._

* * *

As they approached Ulrich and Odd's dorm, they heard Odd's voice shouting. The moved close to the door, pressing their ears against it.

"Come on Alex!" Odd yelled, "Pay attention! You were meant to be watching backside! Why can't you keep the occasional flanker off us? Now we're down one dps and healer!"

Ulrich, Jeremie, Yumi and Aelita shared a look of confusion but proceeded to enter the room.

"Hey Odd." Ulrich said casually, moving to the back of the blonde's chair that was positioned in front of the PC Odd's parents had sent him last week, early for Christmas.

"Oh, hey guys!" Odd said, moving one side of the headset he had on top his head, to the side.

Ulrich leaned on the back of the chair, watching Odd play. The others stood to his side.

"So, what's up?" Odd asked, his attention once again focused on the game.

"We're going to head into town for a little bit, you wanna come with?" Ulrich questioned, his eyes flicking between Odd and the game.

"Ehh, not right now, I'm busy." Odd replied flatly, clearly more interested in his game than spending time with his best friends.

"Odd please… You haven't left the room properly in ages, just come with us?" Ulrich pleaded, his voice sounding desperate.

Muffled voices came from the headset.

"Odd, tell your boyfriend to piss off and concentrate on the game!"

An eruption of laughter came from the headset, making Odd smile.

"Like he'd be so lucky!" Odd responded with laugh, glancing sideways at Ulrich, "Isn't that right, good buddy?"

Odd didn't get an answer before the door slammed behind Ulrich, storming out of the room.

"Wow, it was a joke…" Odd said, completely removing the headset and staring at the door.

Silence hung over the room before Odd went back to concentrating on his game. Minutes passed with Yumi, Jeremie and Aelita still in the room as if Odd had forgotten about them. They watched as all five of Odd's friends on screen had died and only Odd remained. They heard sounds from Odd's teammates through the headset as they pressured him on to win the game for them. Odd's brow began sweating as he ducked and weaved under the hail of bullets coming from the enemy team before he popped up and fired three shots from his characters revolver, killing two people skillfully, one with two body shots and the other with a head shot. As he lined up for the third shot, his screen went blank. He slapped his monitor.

"Hello?!" Odd almost yelled, his anger flaring. A cough came from his left, his eyes slowly traced the wall to its owner. Aelita stood with the plug in her hand, spinning it by the cable.

"Aelita?! What the he-" Odd cried before being cut off by the pinkette, whose face held an angry scowl.

"Guys, could you give us a minute?" Aelita asked, pointing to the door, looking at Yumi and Jeremie. They both nodded in acknowledgement and left the room promptly.

"We'll be in Jeremie's room when you need us!" Yumi called as she closed the door behind Jeremie and herself.

"What's gotten into you?" Aelita asked Odd, sitting on Ulrich's bed, folding her arms and crossing her legs.

"What do you mean?" Odd responded, standing up and stretching his back out, glancing at Aelita.

"You've been neglecting your real friends and spending more time locked in your room?" Aelita shot, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Odd. The blonde shifted under her gaze.

"Have I? It doesn't seem like I spend that much time up here…" Odd trailed, glancing at the floor in shame.

"Odd, you helped me through so much these past few months. I don't want to see you become addicted to something as silly as this!" Aelita sighed, gesturing to the PC that had slowly become cold due to it's sudden shutdown.

"I don't spend that much time up here, do I?" Odd asked, his feet shuffling uncomfortably.

"You do. Ulrich isn't getting much sleep, you haven't been very nice to him at all lately… Or any of us. You're not spending nearly as much time with me or the rest of the group as you have the past few weeks." Aelita huffed, folding her arms. Her annoyance clearly showing.

Odd let out a sign and frowned. He lifted his arm to rub the back of his head.

"Yeah, I guess I did get a little carried away with the game thing…" he trailed off before looking at the door, "Tell you what… Lets go into town and Hot Chocolate is on me!" Odd smiled, tapping his pocket. Aelita smiled but shrugged.

"That's the spirit, but first, you need to find a certain someone and apologize!" Aelita said, tapping Ulrich's bed for emphasis.

* * *

Ulrich had made his way from the dorm into the open and quickly walked towards a familiar spot, he sat on their usual bench in the courtyard, one leg stretched out, the other pulled up to his chest. He lazily looked around the grounds of Kadic, occasionally smiling at people he recognized as they waved at him. The cold air cooling him down and making him more relaxed than he had been all day.

"Hey Stern!" a voice sounded behind him causing him to jump. Ulrich turned in his spot to find the owner of the voice.

"Oh," Ulrich said with a smile, "Hey William!" he greeted with a smile.

William had taken a seat beside Ulrich, dropping the bag he was carrying onto the ground with a thud, clearly filled to the brim with whatever William had decided to show an interest in this month.

"What has you out here on a cold day like this?" William asked, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees and cupping his own face with gloved hands. Ulrich sighed and sat forward.

"Odd's been out of sorts, he goes from one new thing to another in days, shows no interest in hanging out sometimes, ignores us all and it's just so weird." Ulrich explained, throwing William the occasional hand gesture, "He's never been like this before."

"Hmmm…." William trailed, reaching for his bag. Opening it, he pulled out a rather thick book and began flicking through it, "Anything else?" he asked. Ulrich tilted his head.

"Now that you mention it, he's been having insane mood swings lately." Ulrich continued, recalling a few times during the past few months, including this morning, where Odd's mood drastically switched within a few minutes from happiness to anger and other various emotions. William tapped the book he held in his lap.

"Give this a read." William suggested, passing the book to Ulrich. He glanced over the page and his eyes were drawn to its title.

 **Depression and Bipolar disorder.**

"Why do you have this?" Ulrich asked, passing the book back to William who shook his head and pushed it back into his hands.

"You keep it for the time being, it might help," William smiled, zipping up his bag, "And because, I was doing study for an assignment due the first week back after break but I feel like you might benefit from this book more than me at the moment, just make sure to drop it back to me at some point!"

William waved his goodbye with a smile as he walked towards the Library. Ulrich stared after him and smiled, he never would have thought that he and William could bury the hatchet and become such good friends but he was glad they did. His attention soon returned to the book he held. Opening it back on the page he had previously been looking over, he began reading the entry until he got to a part he found interesting.

"Bipolar Depression is the name given to the Depression experienced in those who had also been affected by Bipolar Disorder. This is, in and of itself, is harder to cope with and overcome due to the fact it is classed as two separate disorders." Ulrich read in his head, he closed the book with a thud and was left with his thoughts.

"Odd isn't depressed or bipolar," Ulrich thought, "Right?", He can't be. Odd is too upbeat, right?" His mind racing with the possibility of his friend suffering from either of the disorders.

He didn't get much more time to think about it because once he looked up, his eyes set upon Odd making his way towards him.

 **Sorry for the delay, I've just been considering give William and one or two others side paths, maybe a chapter each, not specifically showcasing a disorder, but maybe how they helped one of the Lyoko Warriors in some small way, I'll see about that anyway. But anyway, before I end this off, I want to say thank you for the support on this series so far, I've received quite a few PM's, favorites, follows and reviews and it really warms my heart to know that people are relating and understanding what I'm trying to do. I really am thankful for all of you who have view this story. I'll see you at some point midweek with the second half of Odd's branch! See you then.**


	4. Update Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, I'm extremely sorry for not keeping to my word and posting mid-week last week, I ran into extreme computer problems, ending in my entire PC needing to be wiped and the operating system reinstalled and then, to add to the trouble, my hard drive destroyed itself, rendering it useless and requiring it to be replaced. THEN, once I got a loan of a small 30gb harddrive from a friend to replace mine for the time being, my motherboard and CPU died out on me, causing the extra suffering. it should be replaced before Christmas but I felt obliged to elaborate on the lack of updates. I had the second Odd chapter typed up but lost it but fear not, I should be able to borrow my friends laptop and type up a replacement, I'll aim to have that up tomorrow night!**

 **I hope you can all forgive me for this absence!**

 **I'll get right back into 2-3 weekly updates! I'll see you all HOPEFULLY tomorrow with Odd's second chapter!**

 **~ShadowOdd**

 **P.S - in the meantime, I'd like to recommend a story I loved when it originally was posted which is currently in the midst of being updated and rewritten. Out of Place by SittinginACoffeeShop. it's a great story and I'd seriously recommended it endlessly! Along with Secret of Hope by NobleScotsman, Co Written by yours truly! Who knows, maybe an increase in reviews and reading could get it back on track! If you visit either, tell them I sent you! I hope you enjoy!**


	5. Odd 2

**Odd 2/3**

Odd sat down beside Ulrich in silence, not a word being spoken between the best friends. Ulrich kept glancing at Odd out of the side of his eyes, Odd staring at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

"I'm sorry I've been an ass lately." Odd started, breaking the silence. Ulrich let out a sigh.

"It's alright, I think it's both of our fault. We've both been at each others throats these past weeks." Ulrich said, sitting forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"It's just, with everything happening with Aelita at the same time we're close to exams, it's just been piling up the stress and I guess I thought that distracting myself was the best course of action but it wasn't, it was just bottling it up and I guess it just, exploded out." Odd explained, gesturing with his hands for emphasis. Ulrich's mind quickly returned to the book he was holding. He looked down at it and thought about what he read and then back to how Odd had been acting lately.

"Odd?" Ulrich started, his mouth moving before his mind could stop himself.

"Yeah, Good Buddy?"

"Are you depressed?"

The words had left Ulrich's mouth quicker than he realized. The silence had returned between the duo and minutes passed, Ulrich not daring to look at Odd. Suddenly, a noise came from Odd. It was a quiet laugh that quickly grew into a normal laugh until Odd had doubled over laughing, drawing the attention of students and faculty nearby. Ulrich rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Alright, dumb question. I'm sorry I ask-" Ulrich started before Odd cut him off, wiping one of the tears that had started rolling down his cheek.

"I should had known I wouldn't be able to hide anything from you." Odd laughed, his tears flowing freely at this point, half from the laughter and half from the pride he felt in his best friend being able to detect that he was hiding something.

"Wait, so does that mean you are?" Ulrich asked, finally making eye contact with him.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't think so but that's the thing with stuff like this, right? You can never really tell at the start." Odd said, his laughter finally subsiding, his face becoming stern, "I guess I've been feeling extremely down since I found out about Aelita."

"I understand Odd, I just wish you would have mentioned something to me or at least tried talking to me." Ulrich sighed, resting his hand on Odd's shoulder causing the blonde to nod his head.

"I should have, I'm sorry Ulrich." Odd replied, his voice cracking.

The two sat in silence until the air had become cold and unforgiving before they decided to head for the dorms.

* * *

Ulrich and Odd walked back to their dorm in sync, their chatter filling the otherwise empty hallway. As they neared the stairs up to the second floor, Ulrich glanced down the hallway in front of them and then back to the stairs.

"Listen Odd, you go on ahead, I wanna go talk to Aelita about Jeremie's present and see what she thinks!" Ulrich lied, looking away from his best friend. Odd shrugged his reply and told Ulrich he'd be in their room.

Once Odd had gotten out of sight, Ulrich made his way to Aelita's dorm and knocked on the door. It wasn't long before the door opened to reveal Aelita, Jeremie and Yumi sitting on her bed. Ulrich stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"Guys, we have a problem." Ulrich announced before starting in to his story.

* * *

"So he really is depressed?" Yumi asked, letting out a sigh before running her hands through her hair. Ulrich rubbed her back in comfort.

"I'm afraid it seems that way." Ulrich replied with a sigh, his eyes dropping to the floor.

The four of them sat in silence before Jeremie stood up.

"I have an idea that might help cheer him up, even if it's only for the Holidays!" Jeremie smiled, drawing the attention of his friends.

"Spit it out then Einstein!" Ulrich said with a smile, causing the other three to laugh. Once their laughter had died down, Jeremie started.

"So, Jim went through a lot of effort to set up the decorations all over Kadic, right?" Jeremie began, they all nodded their heads.

"Yeah, what about it?" Aelita questioned further, her interest in helping Odd had overcome her and she wanted to do all she could.

"Well, lets say, he bought a little too much decorations? Where would he have stored them?" Jeremie questioned further, the smirk on his face getting bigger.

"In the storage closet!" Ulrich replied, snapping his fingers.

"Exactly! And since he won't be going back to get anymore decorations, he probably wont be back in there until after the holidays, which means?" Jeremie continued, the huge smile plastered to his face.

"It means we could 'borrow' them for the Holidays and return them before he even know what was up!" Yumi finished, shooting to stand up, followed instantly by Ulrich and Aelita.

"Jeremie! You're a genius," Ulrich said, running forward to hug his friend, placing a kiss on the top of his head before ruffling his hair, "A tiny, nerdy genius!"

"What else am I here for?" Jeremie said with a laugh before turning to his other friends, "Alright, Ulrich and Yumi, you guys are on decoration recovery detail!" Jeremie announced, his plan swinging into action, "Aelita and I are on tree detail!"

"Tree detail?" Aelita questioned, tilting her head.

"There's a shop not too far outside of the school that sells pretty small Christmas Trees, we can get one and put it up in Ulrich and Odd's room!" Jeremie explained, everyone nodded in unison.

"We'll see if there's any tree decorations in there as well!" Yumi said with a determined nod.

They all left the room, Aelita locking it after them.

"Alright, it's 2:49pm now!" Jeremie said, glancing at his watch, "We'll meet back up here at 3:30pm, hide everything in Aelita's room! Then Ulrich, it's your job to get Odd out of the room for an hour or so, think you can do that?"

"I got you, Captain!" Ulrich replied with a grin, tipping an imaginary cap, earning a laugh from all of them.

"Alright, good luck!" Jeremie said before him and Aelita made a dash down the left corridor while Ulrich and Yumi made a dash down the right corridor.

* * *

 **Ulrich and Yumi.**

Ulrich and Yumi came to a stop in front of the supply closet, out of breath from the running.

"Alright, you go in and I'll keep watch!" Ulrich said, standing next to the corner and leaning against the wall.

"Alright, cough a few times if we're in trouble!" Yumi said, opening the door and slipping inside. Ulrich lazily looked left to right, his eyes tracing various objects in the building. He looked down to the left and let out a happy sigh. His eyes were set on a door. A door their group was all too familiar with. All those late nights sneaking out and back in through the tunnel at the back. His mind had filled with old memories and his feet had begun to move automatically towards the door but he was stopped when he heard a loud crash coming from inside the supply closet. Turning over his shoulder one last time, he ran to the closet Yumi was in.

"Oh my God..." Ulrich exclaimed, his voice trembling with hints of laughter. Yumi had somehow managed to fall and drag down a box of Christmas ornaments and supplies and was currently sitting with them scattered around and on her.

"I... I fell!" Yumi pouted, folding her arms from her spot on the floor. Ulrich threw his head back and let out a full belly laugh, it wasn't long before Yumi had joined in on his laughter. Once their laughs had died down, mostly from Ulrich feeling pain in his ribs from laughing too much, he reached for a box to help pick up the dropped supplies but he felt himself slip on a strand of tinsel and barrel forward. When he shook his head and regained his composure, he realized he was on top of Yumi on the ground. Their faces were so close that Ulrich couldn't tear his face away from hers. She looked back at him, a strong blush creeping up on her face, matching the blush that grew on his. The sparks between them flew more than they ever had as their faces moved closer and closer until they were only an inch apart.

"What's going on in here?!" A strong voice boomed, rattling them back into reality, Ulrich scrambed to his feet and reached a hand down to Yumi to help her up.

"We... We just..." Yumi stuttered, looking towards the door and the owner of the voice. Jim stood in the doorway, his massive frame covering almost all of it, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Just what, Ishiyama?!" Jim questioned, walking in and inspecting the mess they had made.

"We were just looking to borrow some of the spare decorations, we're having a bit of a problem and someone needs major cheering up for the Christmas season!" Ulrich cut in, explaining why they had been snooping in the supply room.

"And this someone is?" Jim asked, letting out a sigh, he couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at students around Christmas time, especially not 2 of his favourite 5 students.

"Odd, he hasn't been himself lately..." Ulrich started, explaining their predicament to Jim who nodded understandingly.

"Look, I'm not meant to do this but," Jim started, looking both ways outside the door before ducking back in, "Just make sure they're back before the stock check a week before classes start again!" he smiled. Ulrich and Yumi returned his smile with their own and grabbed two boxes of decorations and made their way back to Aelita's room. Jim stared off after them with a smile before it turned to a frown.

"Poor Della-Robbia, I wonder what has him down..." he muttered to himself before turning back to the supply closet and letting out a sigh, "They forgot to finish cleaning their mess! Merry Christmas to you too!" He smirked as he started picking up the fallen ornaments.

* * *

 **Jeremie and Aelita.**

"What about this one?" Aelita asked, running her gloved hand up the branches of a small tree, around the same height as her. Jeremie stood beside her and circled the tree, tapping his finger against his chin.

"Hmmm, this one is pretty good, if there's nothing better, we'll grab this one!" Jeremie said before walking down the center of a dozen trees on either side, inspecting them each thoroughly.

Aelita just watched as the blonde inspected every inch of the trees he walked past and smiled, even when it came to trees decorations he was very coordinated and determined to get the best he could. After a while he returned to Aelita's side.

"The one you spotted earlier on was the best, lets grab that one and make our way back! We only have," Jeremie said, glancing down at his watch, "30 minutes to get back!"

Aelita nodded her response as they both walked back towards the tree from earlier only to see the tree being picked up by someone else. Aelita reached out for tree and sighed.

"Damn it!" she cried, clearly upset that her tree of choice had been taken. Her cry had not gone unnoticed however as the person who picked up their tree turned to them.

"I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" the voice came, Aelita and Jeremie faced the person and realized he was a teen, around the same age as them although much taller and well built, his tanned skin a major difference than the norm in France.

"No! Well, kinda... You see, we were going to grab that tree but it's alright! We'll grab another one!" Aelita explained, embarrassed that he had heard her cry.

"Are you sure? I really don't mind!" He offered, motioning towards the tree with a smile.

"It's all yours! Enjoy!" Aelita said, waving as he began to walk away. She turned to Jeremie and looked around at the trees one last time.

"Alright Jeremie, we'll just grab a random one, text Yumi or Ulrich that we're heading back now." Aelita commanded, turning to look at more trees but was interrupted by the teen who took their tree.

"Wait, Jeremie?" the teen asked, his eyes dancing between them both.

"Yes?" Jeremie answered, raising his eyebrow.

"Which means, you're Aelita!" he continued, pointing at the pinkette.

"Yes! But how did you know that?" Aelita questioned, wondering how this random person knew them both but she had this rather large feeling she had seen this person before recently.

"I couldn't help but overhear you mention Yumi and Ulrich's name, then it clicked. I'm a friend of Yumi's from in town and she mentions all you constantly, I should have pieced it together sooner by the pink hair!" he explained, his voice happy, "Here, take this tree and enjoy it!" he smiled, passing the tree to them.

"Thank you? I guess?" Jeremie replied, unsure of how they got to this point.

"No problem, just tell her Mako said hello!" he grinned before waving and took off in search of another tree.

* * *

"You ran into Mako?" Yumi laughed, throwing her box of decorations onto Aelita's bed before sitting down beside them.

"Yeah, he said to say hello and took off! How do you know him? He doesn't go here, does he?" Jeremie asked, sitting in the chair by the desk.

"Oh, he went to the public school from close by, he finished last year and works at the diner not too far from here!" Yumi explained, earning nods from all her friends.

"That explains a lot!" Ulrich said, digging through his box on the floor.

"Really Ulrich? I'd expect you to be jealous or something!" Jeremie teased him from his seat, Ulrich knelt up straight and looked at him.

"I swear to God, Jeremie! I will end you!" Ulrich replied, the blush creeping up on his face matching the one that spread across Yumi's face instantly, earning laughs from Aelita and Jeremie.

"Alright Ulrich, it's time! It's up to you to get Odd out of the room, it's all on you now!" Aelita cheered, excited that the plan was finally underway.

 **Sorry for the huge delay in updating but I finally got my PC back in working condition! I hope you all enjoy this and to make up for it, there'll be a few extra chapters added to make the story slightly longer to make up for lost time! From now we'll back to 2-3 updates every 7 days give or take!**


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